THE Davao City Drainage Management Unit (DMU), together with other concerned agencies, is still clueless on what it intends to do with trees along Dacudao Avenue that they think will be acceptable to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
"Thorough study ang atong ginabuhat diri (what we are doing is a thorough study) because you cannot just cut trees, pag pinutol mo yan mahirap nang magtanim nang kahoy (when you cut them, it's hard to re-plant the trees)," said DMU chief retired Colonel Yusof Jimlani on Monday's Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao.
The mayor has been very clear in what he wants: no tree will be cut.
Jimlani said they have already conducted three consultative meetings last October 16, 20, and 24 with the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO), City Engineer's Office (CEO), City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and they are set to conduct a "proposed consolidated meeting" this week.
Jimlani said the current solutions that they have come up with for now is to cut some trees and replant them after, and another is to use a machine so as not to harm the trees.
According to him, they have conducted mapping through the CPDO and tagging of trees through the Cenro and DENR.
They are researching on the machinery they need to remove the silt because the city only has a vactor, which he said, cannot do the job.
"Ang vactor kasi is only concerned of siphoning yung mga dumi lang but this one needs a heavy machinery. So far, may nakita kaming isa but China-made siya na machine but we still do not know if it is capable of siphoning yung mga silt, ito yung dumi na nasa gitna na nang creek nang Dacudao na dumami na," Jimlani said.
He said the trees fences off the canal, thus they cannot bring in a backhoe to clean the creek.
"So yung mga trees na ito has been planted mga 20 years ago or so na, so you can just imagine kung gaano na kakapal yung silt," he said.
Jimlani said that when they have come up with the different options, they will present it to Mayor Duterte.
"Si mayor na ang mag-decide kung unsa nga option iyang pilion (The mayor will be deciding as to what option he will choose)," he said.
Jimlani said they are hoping to submit the proposal to the City Mayor's Office before the end of December. (KGL)